Clip construction



Oct. 7, 1958 'r. E. GARDNER 2,855,171

CLIP CONSTRUCTION Filed March 10. 1952 1 p.46 CAPE FEAR nqK b-nc CONTROL w P05 ao wfieiao ORELAY 3o m E L I P h 3 i I F4 I I 1 v 1 u L l! HI I i I l 'I; J Ii l H I 7' INVENTOR THOMAS E GA RDA/ER IIEY GENTS United States Patent CLIP CONSTRUCTION Thomas E. Gardner, Raleigh, N. C.

Application March 10, 1952, Serial No. 275,835

3 Claims. (Cl. 248-316) The present invention relates to a clip construction and more particularly to a clip construction to be employed in combination with a conventional cartridge fuse mounting to support a sign identifying the type of fuse needed in the circuit and the particular electrical circuit such fuse protects.

Cartridge fuse mountings, as ordinarily manufactured, consist of a channelled ceramic insulating plate, openfaced spring clips mounted adjacent each end of the plate and within the formed channel of the plate to receive the fuse, and electrical line terminals connected to the spring clips. Such mountings are not ordinarily made for receiving a single fuse but are usually manufactured to receive a plurality of fuses in spaced parallel relationship. This construction results in a series of spaced parallel separate spring clips, terminals, and fuses on a single insulating plate with a multitude of electrical wires leading therefrom. Such a multi-fuse insulating plate results in the use of fuses which are of identical physical appearance and yet may possess different ampere values. This fact results in considerable disadvantages at various times, particularly when a circuit is loaded and a fuse blows out necessitating its immediate replacement. Replacement of such fuses in a multi-fuse mounting construction is often-times extremely difficult due to the size and considerable amount of electrical equipment normally found in various power plants. This compacting of all the equipment results in the locating of the fuse mounting in confined, poorlyilluminated areas that are not easily accessible. Moreover, such locations do not normally permit the close associating of a circuit diagram adjacent the fuse mountlIlgS.

It is obvious from the practice just discussed that difficulty will arise upon the overleading of any particular circuit with a corresponding blowing out of the particular fuse. The operator in charge of the equipment has to replace the fuse but has no way of knowing which fuse is defective, nor the amperage or polarity of the defective fuse without a detailed study of a circuit diagram of the entire electrical system. Such circuit diagrams are not normally available and the operator can only restore operation of the equipment by a trial and error method employing different fuses in different circuits until the equipment begins operation again. Such equipment is normally in continuous 24-hours a day operation and the considerable delay necessitated by the time to restore the interrupted service is undesired. Such delay is economically unfeasible and, often-times results in undue hardship and danger to power customers such as, for example, hospitals.

It has been found that the foregoing objections can be completely eliminated by providing indicating means in association with the fuse mounting which provides all the necessary data relative to such mounting. The proper associating of the indicating means with the mounting is to be accomplished by employing a clip of unique construction. Such a clip, in order to be satisfactory, must possess a very simple and inexpensive construction and be compact and light in weight. Moreover, the clip must be easily and yet firmly secured to the fuse mounting without interfering with the normal function of the mounting. Further, the clip must be of such a construction that the indicating means may be equally removed or inserted from the fuse mounting without difiiculty. The clip also must present the indicating means away from the mounting and in a distinctive manner to the operator so that no question will arise as to the data on any particular fuse.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive clip construction which may be easily connected to a fuse mounting and which will carry indicating means for identifying the type of fuse employed and the circuit which it controls.

Another object is to provide an inexpensive clip construction which may be connected to a fuse mounting at a terminal from which a plurality of electric lines extend without impairing their use whatsoever.

Still another object is to provide a fuse mounting having indicating means in association therewith to identify the circuit and other pertinent data of the fuses contained therein.

A further object is to provide a clip which may be readily attached to a fuse mounting for holding the indicating means in detachable relationship therewith, thus permitting the indicating means to be instantly changed.

Still another object is to provide a clip which may be stamped from a single piece of metal at very low cost.

Further and additional objects and improvements will become apparent from the annexed drawings and the description to be given hereinafter.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the present invention then consists of the means hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail certain means in the carrying out of the invention, such disclosed means illustrating, however, but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed. The present invention, by way of example, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a clip made in accordance with the present invention in use with a multiple fuse mounting;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the clip made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the clip shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the clip shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a blank from which the preferred form of the clip is to be made.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the illustrative embodiment of the improved clip comprises a blank 10 preferably stamped from thin sheet or rolled metal stock, such as, for example, spring beryllium-copper and consisting of a central body portion 11 and foldable top and bottom portions 12 and 13 respectively secured thereto. The central body portion 11 is provided with ears 14 and 15 at each top corner. Ears 14 and 15 will extend upwardly for a short distance on either side of top portion 12. This construction results in the central body portion being trifurcated with cars 14 and 15 being the outer tangs and the, top portion 12 being the central tang with each being substantially parallel to one another and extending in the same direction. T op portion 12 is provided at its free end with a small foldable flange portion 16 and serves the function of receiving the top edge of the sign when folded. The bottom portion 13 functions as the means for securing theclip to the fuse mounting and is provided with a slot 17 into which the 3 screw mounting of the fuse will be positioned. However, other equivalent means may be carried by the bottom portion 13 for achieving this objective, such as, for example, a hole may be provided in the bottom portion 13 into which a conventional screw may be positioned.

In forming the clip illustrated in Figures 2-4 from the blank above referred to, the bottom portion 13 is bent downwardly substantially at a right angle to the central body portion 11. The top extension 12 is bent upwardly substantially at a right angle to the central body portion 13 and will lie substantially parallel to but running in opposite direction from the bottom extension 13. In folding the top extension 12 upwardly, the ears 14 and 15 of the central body portion 11 will be extending forwardly from the top portion 12. Bars 14 and 15 in this relation to the top portion 12 will function to hold the bottom edge of the sign in position. The top flange portion 16 is then folded rearwardly and lies substantially parallel to and in the same direction as cars 14 and 15. It should be noted that the top flange portion 16 and ears 14 and 15 should be slightly curved in order to provide a resilient spring effect since the sign is to be held in engagement therein by a press fit. By this arrangement the sign will be held in a positive and secure relationship and yet readily permits the sign to be withdrawn.

It should be noted that the clip of the present invention may be employed on a single fuse mounting, the device will, however, be more often used on a fuse mounting containing a plurality of fuses. For this reason, it should be noted that the bottom portion should be of a width greater than the width of either the central portion 11 or the top portion 12. The top side edges of the bottom portion 13 are cut out so as to curve inwardly to the point at which it joins with the central body portion 11. By this particular arrangement, the clip when inserted on a fuse mounting from which a plurality of lines extend, will permit necessary movement of the lines along the curved surface of the side edges of the bottom portion 13. The importance of this feature when employing the clip on a multi-fuse mounting cannot be over-emphasized. The electrical lead lines which normally go into the fuse mounting contain heavy tubular insulation and have at their connecting end a flat circular connecting means provided with a hole or slot in the center thereof. It is obvious that to use two or more of these conventional lines on a single stud of a fuse mounting would be impossible unless some movement was permitted. With the inwardly curved side edges of the bottom portion 13 of the clip, such movement is possible without any impairment of the full function of the lines whatsoever.

The sign 18 which is to carry the necessary indicia is a rectangular rigid strip made from any suitable nonconducting material, such as, for example, wood, plastic, and the like. Of these materials, the preferred one is a relatively rigid synthetic plastic such as, for example, Bakelite, Micarta, etc. The desired indicia or other pertinent data to be carried by the sign may be applied by painting, stenciling or engraving, or the like. It is preferred that such indicia be painted with a fluorescent material in order to facilitate the reading of same in dark places or at night. The background color for the sign plate 18 may be merely black or white although in order to identify whether or not the current is alternating or direct, the normal practice is to employ black as the background paint for alternating current and red as the background color for direct current. To mount the clip on a fuse mounting generally referred to by the numeral 19 in Figure 1, the screw 20 which holds the fuse clip 21 in place is loosened and the body portion 13 is then slid over the shaft of the screw 20 by means of the slot 17 of the body portion 13. Screw 20 is then tightened and the .clip is in positive engagement therewith. The

central body portion 11 then extends outwardly away from the fuse mounting. It should be noted that the length of this extension, that is the length of the central body portion 11, will vary depending upon the type of fuse mounting with which it is associated. The length of the central body portion 11 should be such that it will position the sign 18 well forward of the fuse mounting so as not to interfere with any operation or repair or replacement of parts in the fuse mounting proper. The sign plate 18 is then inserted by placing its bottom edge into the curved receptacle formed by the cars 14 and 15. The plate 19 is then pushed backwardly against the top flange portion 16 of the clip and the top of the side plate 19 rides over the curved edge thereof and is held in tight engagement therewith. The back of the side plate 19 will rest flush against the front surface of the top portion 12 in order to prevent any play of the sign when positioned. To remove the sign the reverse of the foregoing procedure is to be followed.

With the clip in place, it is seen that the lead lines 22 and 23, having the connecting clips 24, are secured to the fuse mounting by means of screw 20. As hereinbefore stated, the lead lines 22 and 23 can then be moved back and forth slightly with the bottom edges of the lead lines riding over the curved edges of the bottom portion 13 of the clip. If square edges were present, this movement would not be possible without breaking the insulation with a possible resulting short circuit of the lines.

As hereinbefore indicated, the metal from which the clip is to be made can be any suitable conducting metal. Some care, however, should be employed in selecting the metal due to the fact that the clip must possess properties of extreme rigidity and strength and yet possess some springiness in order to receive the sign. It has been found that beryllium-copper alloy possesses these characteristics. Moreover, the metal to be employed must be selected with regard to the ultimate fabrication. That is to say, the metal used must be of a gauge suflicient to permit the bending of the top and bottom extensions 12 and 13 and the top flange portion 16. At the same time the gauge must be such that the clip will be rigid when folded and yet at the same time be very light in weight.

The advantages of the present invention are apparent from an examination of Figure l. The sign 13 clearly presents, right on the fuse mounting, all necessary indicia to permit any replacement of the fuses without reference to any other source of information. That is to say, any repairman can immediately know all the necessary information to make any needed replacements immediately upon reaching the fuse mounting. Yet, at the same time, the clip, in combination with the sign, would in no way interfere with the operation of the fuse mounting.

While the foregoing illustrative embodiment of the clip made in accordance with this invention is preferred, it is to be understood that the particular embodiment described is illustrative in character. For example, other and apparent modifications are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, the central portion of the clip could be provided with a single ear extending outwardly from its front edge to receive the bottom of the sign. The top portion, therefore, would comprise two arms extending upwardly on either side of this central ear. Still other and additional details of construction are obvious in the light of the general construction set forth hereinbefore.

I claim:

1. A metallic clip construction for connection with a fuse mounting to support a sign identifying the fuses present in the mounting which comprises a central body portion having one end trifucated, the central tang being of a length greater than each of the side tangs, said central tang being at substantially right angles to said central body portion and said side tangs, a flange portion secured to the free end of said central tang at right angles thereto, said flange portion being spaced from and substantially parallel to said side tangs, a bottom portion secured at one end to the opposite end of said central body portion at right angles thereto, said bottom portion and said central tang being in a plane parallel to one another but being laterally spaced from and extending in opposite directions with respect to one another, and means on said bottom portion for connecting the clip to a fuse mounting.

2. A clip in accordance with claim 1 wherein the bottom portion is cut out on each upper side edge at the joining line between the bottom portion and the central body portion.

3. A clip in accordance with claim 1 wherein the connecting means for connecting the clip to a fuse mounting is a U-shaped cutout portion in the bottom free end of said bottom portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

